The invention pertains to meander line loaded antennas and more particularly to such an antenna that operates simultaneously in two different modes and two different frequency bands.
In the past efficient antennas have typically required structures with minimum dimensions on the order of a quarter wavelength of the radiating frequency. These dimensions allowed the antenna to be excited easily and to be operated at or near a resonance, limiting the energy dissipated in resistive losses and maximizing the transmitted energy. However, these antennas tended to be large in size at the resonant wavelength. Further, as frequency decreased, the antenna dimensions increased in proportion.
As the demand for smaller communication devices has surged, there is a growing need for compact antenna designs. Furthermore, there is a strong interest in antennas that operate in multiple frequency bands.
In order to address some of the shortcomings of traditional antenna design and functionality, the meander line loaded antenna (MLA) was developed. One MLA is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,080, for MEANDER LINE LOADED ANTENNA that is hereby incorporated by reference. An example of a MLA, sometimes labeled as a varied impedance transmission line antenna, is shown therein. The antenna consists of two vertical conductors and a horizontal conductor. The vertical and horizontal conductors are separated by gaps that use meander lines, which are connected between the vertical and horizontal conductors at the gaps.
The meander line is designed to adjust the electrical length of the antenna. In addition, the design of the meander slow wave structure permits lengths of the meander line to be switched in or out of the circuit quickly and with negligible loss, in order to change the effective electrical length of the antenna. This switching is possible because the active switching devices are always located in the high impedance sections of the meander line. This keeps the current through the switching devices low and results in very low dissipation losses in the switch, thereby maintaining high antenna efficiency.
The basic antenna of the aforesaid patent can be operated in a loop mode that provides a xe2x80x9cfigure eightxe2x80x9d coverage pattern. Horizontal polarization, loop mode, is obtained when the antenna is operated at a frequency such that the electrical length of the entire line, including the meander lines, is a multiple of full wavelength. The antenna can also be operated in a vertically polarized, monopole mode, by adjusting the electrical length to an odd multiple of a half wavelength at the operating frequency. The meander lines can be tuned using electrical or mechanical switches to change the mode of operation at a given frequency, or to switch frequency using a given mode.
The invention of the meander line loaded antenna significantly reduces the dimensions of the unit, while maintaining an electrical length that is still a multiple of a quarter wavelength of the operating frequency. Antennas and radiating structures of this type operate in the region where the limitations on their fundamental performance is governed by the Chu-Harrington relation:
Efficiency=FV2Q
where:
Q=Quality Factor
V2=Volume of the structure in cubic wavelengths
F=Geometric Form Factor (F=64 for a cube or a sphere)
Meander line loaded antennas achieve the efficiency limit of the Chu-Harrington relation while allowing the antenna size to be much less than a wavelength at the frequency of operation. Height reductions of 10 to 1 can be achieved over quarter wave monopole antennas while achieving comparable gain.
Existing MLAs are narrow band antennas, with the switchable meander line allowing the antennas to cover wide frequency bands. However, the instantaneous bandwidth is always narrow. For many military applications and for commercial applications where signals can appear unexpectedly over a wide frequency range, the existing MLA antenna would not be satisfactory.
Discussion of the Related Art
The aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,080 describes an antenna that includes one or more conductive elements for acting as radiating antenna elements, and a slow wave meander line adapted to couple electrical signals between the conductive elements. The slow wave meander line has an effective electrical length that affects the electrical length and operating characteristics of the antenna. The electrical length and operating mode of the antenna may be readily controlled and manipulated via switching.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,034,637 for DOUBLE RESONANT WIDEBAND PATCH ANTENNA AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME, describes a double resonant wideband patch antenna that includes a planar resonator forming a substantially trapezoidal shape having a non-parallel edge for providing a wide bandwidth. A feed line extends parallel to the non-parallel edge for coupling while a ground plane extends beneath the planar resonator for increasing radiation efficiency.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,008,762 for FOLDED QUARTER WAVE PATCH ANTENNA, describes a folded quarter-wave patch antenna which includes a conductor plate having first and second spaced apart arms. A ground plane is separated from the conductor plate by a dielectric substrate and is approximately parallel to the conductor plate. The ground plane is electrically connected to the first arm at one end and a signal unit is electrically coupled to the first arm. The signal unit transmits and/or receives signals having a selected frequency band. The folded quarter-wave patch antenna can also act as a dual frequency band antenna. In dual frequency band operation, the signal unit provides the antenna with a first signal of a first frequency band and a second signal of a second frequency band.
A DUAL BAND BOWTIE/MEANDER ANTENNA is described in PCT Patent International Application number WO 01/3464. This invention discloses dipole radiating elements and a ground plane on opposing sides of a dielectric material.
Despite the advances of the prior art designs, there continues to be a need to an efficient dual band antenna to address the problems addressed herein. There is a need for an antenna structure suitable for use in dual bands, such as a cellular phone and as a global positioning system (GPS) antenna. In this particular application, however, the cellular phone antenna must provide vertical polarization while the GPS antenna must have circular polarization.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a dual-band, meander line loaded antenna (MLA) which utilizes a crossed pair of MLA elements to provide an antenna operable in two discrete frequency bands and having either vertical or circular polarization.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a dual-band, offset-tuned, meander line loaded antenna (MLA) constructed as a crossed pair of MLA elements.
It is another object of the invention to provide a dual band MLA wherein at least one of the MLA elements is equipped with a capacitive flap to reduce its resonant frequency.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a dual-band MLA selectively operable with either vertical or circular polarization.
One object of the invention that is distinguishable from the prior art, is the use of capacitive flaps for changing the resonant frequency and to stagger or offset tune the phase of the monopole mode. The capacitive flaps are added to the basic MLA loop design so as to lower the monopole resonant frequency of the structure. By using a crossed pair of offset-tuned MLA elements, a dual frequency antenna may be constructed. In addition, the crossed arrangement allows for operation as either a vertically or a circularly polarized antenna.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a dual-band MLA adapted for combined cellular phone and GPS service.
On object of the invention is a dual-band antenna for simultaneous operation in two frequency bands, comprising a ground plane, a first meander line loaded antenna element tuned to a first loop mode frequency and having a first monopole resonant frequency. The first antenna element is disposed upon the ground plane. There is a second meander line loaded antenna element tuned to a second loop mode frequency, the second antenna element having a second monopole resonant frequency, wherein the second antenna element is also disposed upon the ground plane. There is a means for capacitive tuning the first monopole resonant frequency of the first antenna element to a first monopole frequency and a means for capacitive tuning the second monopole resonant frequency of said second meander line loaded antenna element to a second monopole frequency.
Another object is a dual-band antenna, wherein the first and the second monopole frequency are tuned such that a center frequency is approximately 3 dB in the frequency domain.
Yet a further object is a dual-band antenna wherein the means for capacitive tuning comprises flaps affixed to the first and second antenna elements. In one embodiment a first frequency band is centered at approximately 850 MHz and a second frequency band is centered at approximately 1.5 GHz. And, the dual-band antenna exhibits vertical polarization in the first frequency band and circular polarization in the second frequency band.
An object of the invention is a dual-band antenna comprising a ground plane, a first meander line loaded antenna element tuned to a first loop mode frequency and having a first monopole resonant frequency, wherein the first antenna element is disposed upon the ground plane. A second meander line loaded antenna element tuned to a second loop mode frequency and disposed substantially orthogonal to said first antenna element and upon the ground plane, with the second antenna element having a second monopole resonant frequency. One or more capacitive flaps are mounted to the first antenna element for tuning the first monopole resonant frequency, and one or more capacitive flaps are mounted to the second antenna element for tuning the second monopole resonant frequency.
An additional object is the dual-band antenna, wherein the flaps are metal with a dielectric material surrounding the metal. The first and second meander line loaded element each comprise a pair of vertical sides extending from the ground plane and a top cover between the vertical sides, wherein there is a gap between the top cover and the vertical sides with the capacitive flaps mounted to each top cover at the gaps. Furthermore, wherein the tuning is performed by adjusting a spacing between the vertical sides and the flaps.
Another object is the dual-band antenna produced by the process of tuning the first monopole resonant frequency to a desired monopole frequency band and tuning the second monopole resonant frequency to the desired monopole frequency band. And, offset tuning either the first or second antenna element to produce a zero degree monopole phase difference between the first and second antenna element.
And yet a further object is a dual-band antenna comprising a ground plane, a first bow-tie meander line loaded antenna element tuned to a first loop mode frequency and having a first monopole resonant frequency, the first antenna element being disposed upon the ground plane. There is a second bow-tie meander line loaded antenna element tuned to a second loop mode frequency and disposed substantially orthogonal to the first antenna element and upon the ground plane, the second antenna element having a second monopole resonant frequency. One or more capacitive flaps are mounted to the first antenna element for tuning the first monopole resonant frequency and one or more capacitive flaps are mounted to the second antenna element for tuning the second monopole resonant frequency. The first and second bow-tie meander line loaded elements each comprise a vertical side extending perpendicularly from the ground plane and a triangle-shaped horizontal section extending from the vertical side, wherein there are side gaps between the horizontal section and the vertical sides with the capacitive flaps mounted at the side gaps.
And yet an additional object is the dual-band antenna wherein the capacitive flaps are exteriorly or interiorly disposed upon the antenna elements. Also, wherein the capacitive flaps are electrically connected to the horizontal section and isolated from the vertical sides. Alternatively, wherein the capacitive flaps are electrically connected to the vertical sides and isolated from the horizontal section. Finally, wherein the one or more capacitive flaps are electrically isolated from the vertical sides and the horizontal section.
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description, wherein I have shown and described only a preferred embodiment of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated by me on carrying out my invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention.